Reading 16 Political Crisis Deepens

Jefferson and Adams have been friends, colleagues, enemies and rivals over the many years of their lives.  That they die on the same day is one of the most remarkable coincidences of the American story.  It’s also uncanny that they both die on the 50th anniversary f the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Odd.  Maybe aliens were involved.

THE ELECTION OF1796 (265)  This is a short section because the main focus is the election, which is bitter and short.  Adams wins and basically Jefferson goes home.   He doesn’t effectively do anything as vice-president and leads the opposition from Monticello.  Lines are drawn, which leads you, the student and the reader to wonder about the nature of our political system – specifically the opposition party.  Consider the history of opposition leaders from Barry Goldwater to Newt Gingrich, and others.  Is our democracy strengthened by partisan and ideological division?  Perhaps, yes.

THE WAR CRISIS WITH FRANCE (266)  This is about the XYZ Affair and the insult to American honor.  What isn’t mentioned in your text is that the French also wanted a loan of $12 million and an apology to France in Adams’s message to Congress.  Bribes were not uncommon.  Washington had bribed a Creek chieftan and had ransomed American sailors from Algerian pirates.  This, however, was too much.  Just to get to talk to the French was going to cost money.  France was pushing the little US around, and Adams didn’t want to have any part of it.  Diplomacy was never his strong suit.  Yet another thing your book failed to mention here is that an American businessman, George Logan, goes to France to smooth over relations in 1798.  He did get some sailors released and did get the approval to send over a new American ambassador, but he didn’t have permission to do any of this.  Congress passed the Logan Act to prevent us citizens from negotiating with foreign governments as a result.  Adams also increases the size of the navy from 3 to 33 in three years.  It’s ridiculous that your book includes none of this.

THE ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS (266)  Isn’t this against the 1st Amendment?  That’s the question always asked in history class.  If high school students can figure it out, don’t you think that Congressmen (and the Founders) could do the same?  Alexander Hamilton has other ideas.  What’s more interesting is how immigrants become political tools in this debate.  So much attention is focused on the Sedition Act, that it is almost overlooked.  Immigration ping pongs back and forth over the years as a hot political issue to inspire fear and to increase authority as time goes on.

LOCAL REVERBERATIONS (268)  Umm… is this a text section about President John Adams’s a**?  Really?  C’mon.

THE VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY RESOLUTIONS (268)  Here it comes.  This is the political beginning of the state’s rights issue that starts the Civil War.  It begins here.  Nullification – the ability of a state (in their mind) to override and negate a federal law.  It is the beginning of the state-compact theory, that states were and are the origin of the Constitution, not the people.  Where do you stand?  Is it the people or the state?

THE REVOLUTION OF 1800 (269)  Hamilton and Adams fought on a lot of issues, and this divided the Federalists.  The attacks on him were outlandish and would make talk-radio people today blush.  The result was a tie between Jefferson and Burr.  That was an embarrassment.  Hamilton helped Jefferson get elected by convincing Federalists that Jefferson would leave many Federalist office-holders in power in exchange for support.  Adams on his last days in office would appoint 42 judges in DC, as well as John Marshall.  It would mean the continuation of Federalist ideas for a long time to come – longer than the party would have to live.